[Ppnews] British girl from London visits the Angola 3

[Political Prisoner News]

British girl from London visits the Angola 3

http://news.infoshop.org/article.php?story=20080820064724649

Wednesday, August 20 2008 @ 06:47 AM CDT
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North America
An 11-year-old girl from London has become the 
youngest ever British person to visit two members 
of the so-called Angola 3, who remain 
incarcerated in Angola prison, Louisiana more 
than three decades after they were convicted of the murder of a prison guard.

Youngest British person visits the Angola 3 at Louisiana State Prison.

An 11-year-old girl from London has become the 
youngest ever British person to visit two members 
of the so-called Angola 3, who remain 
incarcerated in Angola prison, Louisiana more 
than three decades after they were convicted of the murder of a prison guard.

Poppy met Albert Woodfox and Herman Wallace, 
found guilty in 1973 and 1974 respectively of the 
1972 murder of Brent Miller at the notorious Angola prison.

“Meeting Herman and Albert was surreal yet 
amazing. It was incredible just to sit with them 
and listen to everything they had to say”

She began writing to the two men in 2007 after 
learning about their cause through her mother, 
Carrie Reichardt , a 41-year-old artist and 
activist, aka The Baroness, who has become known 
for her mosaics infused with social and political 
commentary that cover the exterior walls of her 
London home and studio. In June, she unveiled an 
extensive work depicting the Angola 3 and Kenny 
‘Zulu’ Whitmore – also at Angola and the focus of 
a new, international campaign mounted by Richards 
and other artists and activists.

Carrie said about her daughter’s trip - ‘I feel 
it is important for me to pass on an awareness of 
some of these injustices to my daughter. These 
men have been held in horrible conditions, in 
tiny cells for years on end, convicted with 
little or no evidence. They deserve our support, 
and I’m thrilled my daughter had this fantastic 
opportunity to visit Angola and our friends Herman and Albert.’

Woodfox and Wallace have always maintained their 
innocence, claiming they were framed for the 
crime due to their political activism; both were 
members of the Black Panther Party and had spoken 
out about the horrific conditions at the prison.

The third of the Angola 3, Robert King, also a 
member of the Black Panther Party, was released 
in 2001, after his conviction for the murder of a 
fellow inmate at Angola was overturned. He 
recently visited the UK to raise awareness of the 
global grassroots movement for the release of 
Wallace and Woodfox and launch the ‘Free Zulu’ campaign.

Poppy spent four hours on 9th Aug at Angola 
prison talking with the men, who, until recently 
spent a minimum of 23 hours a day in their cells.

“When I first saw Herman and Albert I ran up to 
them and gave them a huge hug. It was weird to 
think that this is a rare treat for them, just to 
have a hug from another human being”

In March this year, following increased media 
attention and a visit to the prison by chair of 
the US House Judiciary Committee John Conyers, 
Woodfox and Wallace were moved from solitary 
confinement, after almost 36 years, to a 
maximum-security dormitory. Campaigners say they 
are likely to have spent longer in solitary than 
anyone else in US history, a belief that has 
prompted Amnesty International to highlight their cause.

The precocious 11-year-old, who says she intends 
to become a human rights lawyer to help abolish 
the death penalty, also visited New Orleans 
during her two-week stay in the US, visiting and 
documenting sites still devastated after Hurricane Katrina.




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